In response to a Maine Voices commentary by Aaron Carsey, “No wonder there’s a shortage of restaurant workers” (July 16):

I’m sorry that his experience working in restaurants has been so disappointing, but he shouldn’t categorize all restaurants as being so unpleasant to work for. I have also worked in the industry for over 20 years, and my experience has been much different than how he is telling it.

It is a lot of work, it is hectic and chaotic and we all work nights, weekends and holidays. That’s what the hospitality industry is all about. Yes, of course kitchens are hot and sometimes the equipment isn’t the newest – we take the good with the bad, don’t we?

We don’t ask our employees to drive in during storms or if they are sick, we give paid time off, vacations, health insurance and bonuses to show our appreciation of their hard work. Getting “stiffed,” as he put it, is unfortunately part of the job but it is not a common occurrence. It happens rarely, and I’m not sure how he can blame that on the owners. Our managers/owners do it all, they do dishes, clean restrooms, jump behind the line and the bar, we all work together.

We would certainly have to close our doors if we didn’t have the hard-working employees we value so greatly. There is good and bad in every profession, the restaurant business is no different. The writer was speaking out of turn to assume that all restaurants are the same. I can only speak for our business, but we do treat our employees like “the people they are.”

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Our View: Return to full-time school is something for Maine to celebrate

Next »

Our View: No going back on climate change